Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by editors of
HealthDay:
21
Salmonella Cases Reported in 13 States After Cereal
Recall
At least 21 people in 13 states have been infected with the
latest outbreak of
Salmonella poisoning, possibly from a number of processed
cereal products that were recalled by the manufacturer April 5.
In issuing a consumer warning, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration said the strain of salmonellosis in the victims was
the same found in the recalled containers of unsweetened Puffed
Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals produced by Malt-O-Meal,
of Minneapolis, Minn.
According to the FDA, the recalled products were also
distributed nationally under private label brands including Acme,
America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn,
Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereals have
Best If Used By dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as "APR0808")
through March 18, 2009 (coded as "MAR1809"), the FDA says.
Consumers are warned to throw out any of the cereal that is part
of the recalled lots. You can get a complete list of the recalled
products at this
Malt-O-Meal site.
While there have been no reports of deaths in these latest
cases, the
Salmonella bacterium causes nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea
and other gastrointestinal problems.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the
following states and number of reported cases: California reported
1; Colorado, 1; Delaware, 1; Maine, 3; Massachusetts, 2; Minnesota,
1; North Dakota, 1; New Hampshire, 2; New Jersey, 3; New York, 3;
Pennsylvania, 1; Rhode Island, 1; and Vermont, 1.
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Former NYC Hospital Employee Charged in Theft of 50,000 Patient
Records
The hospital records of as many as 50,000 patients have been
stolen from a major New York City hospital, the
New York Times reports.
A former employee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill
Cornell Medical Center has been charged with the thefts, according
to the
Times. Dwight McPherson, 38, a patient admissions
representative, was arrested Saturday and charged with stealing
nearly 50,000 patient files and selling at least 1,000 of them, the
newspaper reported.
McPherson was charged with selling about 1,000 patient files to
a person described only as "a man from Brooklyn" for $750, the
Times said. The theft of the files, which contained no
medical records but had other personal information, possibly
including a patient's Social Security number, had been going on
since 2006, the
Times reported.
McPherson, who had been suspended in February after the
investigation began, told government officials that he had been
offered money for information about male patients born between 1950
and 1970, the newspaper quotes the criminal complaint as
stating.
While saying that there had been as yet no reports of a patient
falling prey to a financial scam or fraud, hospital spokeswoman
Myrna Manners told the
Associated Press that the missing information was possibly
part of a "larger criminal enterprise."
Manners said the patients -- all of whom had been treated in the
past two years -- had been notified, and that a hotline had been
established for them to use as more information became
available.
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Nine States Chosen for Health Care Quality Improvement
Nine states have been selected to take part in the State Quality
Improvement Institute, a program to help states devise and
implement action plans to improve performance in a number of health
care quality indicators. The institute is a collaboration of the
Commonwealth Fund and AcademyHealth.
"Our State Scorecard on Health System Performance found that we
could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars if all states
could achieve the level of the top performers on key indicators of
health outcomes, quality, access, efficiency, and equity," Karen
Davis, Commonwealth Fund president, said in a prepared
statement.
"The State Quality Institute will allow states to learn best
practices to improve health care quality, and is an important step
toward achieving a high performing health care system in the U.S.,"
she said.
Each state will appoint a team to take part in an interactive
process for developing policy and program strategies. The nine
states selected for participation are: Colorado, Kansas,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and
Washington.
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Recalled Dietary Supplements May Pose Serious Health Hazard
Twelve dietary supplements containing ephedra, aristolochic acid
or human placenta that may pose a serious health hazard to
consumers are being recalled by Herbal Science International,
Inc.
The recalled products are: Wu Yao Shun Qi San; Qing Bi Tang
(nasal cleanser); Zhong Fong Huo Luo Wan (stroke revito formula);
Xiao Qing Long Tang (Little Green Dragon); Ding Chuan Tang; Xiao Xu
Ming Tang; Feng Shi Zhi Tong Wan (joint relief); Guo Min Bi Yan
Wan; Fang Feng Tong Sheng San; Tou Tong San (headache formula); Du
Huo Ji Sheng Tang (Du Huo joint relief); and Seng Jong Tzu Tong
Tan.
Ephedrine alkaloids can have potentially dangerous effects on
the heart, while aristolochic acid is potent carcinogen and can
cause serious kidney damage. Human placenta can transmit disease,
and dietary supplements that contain it are not allowed to be sold
in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration said.
All 12 products were distributed in white plastic bottles of 100
capsules and sold nationwide in herbal stores, by acupuncturists
and on the Internet. Consumers who bought these products should
immediately stop using them and return them to the place of
purchase for a full refund.
People who have taken these products and have had adverse
reactions should consult a doctor, the FDA said.
For more information, call Herbal Science International, Inc. at
626-333-9998.
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Michaels Recalls 310,000 Seasonal Writing Pens
About 310,000 Flower Writers, Christmas Writers, Easter Writers
and Spooky Writers Seasonal Writing Pens with high levels of lead
are being recalled by Michaels Stores Inc., of Irving, Texas.
Lead levels in the surface coating on the Chinese-made pens
violate the federal lead paint standard, the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission said. The pens, with decorations including
flowers, Christmas, Easter and Halloween ornamentation, were sold
individually at Michaels stores from August 2007 through March
2008.
Consumers should stop using these pens and return them to any
Michaels to receive a refund, the CPSC said.
For more information, contact Michaels at 800-642-4235.
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Scientists Say EPA's New Smog Standard Fails to Protect
Public
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new air quality
standard for smog doesn't protect public health as required by law
and needs to be strengthened, an advisory panel of scientists wrote
in a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.
In the letter, sent earlier this week, the 25 scientists
expressed frustration that their unanimous recommendation for a
stricter standard was ignored, the
Associated Press reported.
The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, created by Congress
to advise the EPA, recommended the ozone (smog) limit be lowered
from 80 parts per billion to between 60 parts per billion and 70
parts per billion. The EPA's new standard is 75 parts per
billion.
In the letter, the scientists also criticized the EPA for not
further strengthening a separate smog standard meant to protect
forests, agricultural land and the ecosystem, the
AP reported.
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